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Word Of The Day
Dorland's Word of the Day is a great way to broaden your knowledge of medical terminology. With a new and interesting term brought to you from the 32nd edition of Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary each day, it's an easy and fun way to increase your medical vocabulary!
You can view a new word on this website each day.
Today's Word
tension-free hernioplasty
hernia repair reinforcing the defect with a mesh sheet or plug, thus avoiding the tension caused by suturing together structures not normally in apposition.
Word of the Day Archive
herbalism
the medical use of preparations containing only plant material.
heliox
a low-density mixture of helium and oxygen that reduces resistance to flow within the airways, used in the treatment of asthma, bronchiolitis, and other conditions characterized by increased airway resistance.
fibrous hamartoma of infancy
a benign, nonencapsulated tumor, sometimes present at birth but usually appearing during the first year of life, most frequently in the shoulder, axilla, or upper arm. It is a firm, painless, skin-colored nodule composed of well-defined fibrous trabeculae, immature mesenchymal tissue, and mature adipose cells; invasion of the surrounding subcutaneous tissue frequently occurs.
stitch granuloma
a foreign-body granuloma occurring around a buried nonabsorbable suture.
dowel graft
a cylindrical plug of bone used to immobilize adjacent vertebrae in anterior spinal fusion.
glucosamine
the amino sugar derivative of glucose, substituted at the 2 position, occurring in glycosaminoglycans and a variety of complex polysaccharides such as blood group substances. It is generally acetylated (N-acetylglucosamine). The sulfate salt, glucosamine sulfate, is prepared artificially as a nutritional supplement and as a popular remedy for osteoarthritis.
bacterial polysaccharide immune globulin (BPIG)
a human hyperimmune globulin derived from the blood plasma of adult human donors immunized with Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal, and meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines; used for passive immunization of infants under 18 months of age.